Marlyn Glen said today that the 61 applications for 3 posts at Braeview demonstrates “the continuing responsibility that rests upon the Scottish Government to properly fund teacher recruitment and fulfill its obligations to teachers, parents and pupils.”

A total of over 60 applications were received for three unpromoted teaching posts at Braeview Academy, Dundee in May.

Information released to Ms. Glen by Dundee City Council revealed that there were 15 applications for a Chemistry post at the school, 20 for a post in English , and 26 applications for a post to teach Craft Design and Technology.

This compared with 3 applications for the post of Principal Teacher of Religious and Moral Education at St. Paul’s Academy, and 5 for the post of Principal Teacher of Home Economics at Menzieshill High School.

Ms. Glen said,

“So few unpromoted teaching vacancies and so many applying for them demonstrate a large waste of taxpayers’ money that funded their training.

“The acute squeeze on council funding by the Scottish Government means that councils simply do not receive enough money to employ the talents and skills of these teachers.”

Ms. Glen added that there are 20 planned places for the Post Graduate Diploma in Education for secondary education and 143 for Primary Education in the new academic session at Dundee University.

She said that she was writing to Education secretary Fiona Hyslop asking “what guarantee of employment the Scottish Government will give these trainee teachers after probation.”